The Tragic Story of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

[Feuer Frei!]

*WARNING* Graphic images in this article, linked, which may disturb some viewers.

The Semipalatinsk Test Site ("The Polygon") was the primary nuclear testing site for the Soviet Union. It's about 150 kilometres west of the town Semey (named Semipalatinsk until 2007). The place was selected in 1947 by Lavrentiy Beria, head of the Soviet atomic bomb project, who claimed the huge steppe region was totally uninhabited. It wasn't, but nobody cared. Workers from Gulag camps were brought in to build a big complex of buildings and laboratories. Here's what happened.

http://io9.com/5988266/the-tragic-story-of-the-semipalatinsk-nuclear-test-site

[Stealhead]

Interesting story but it is largely plagiarized from the Wikipedia page covering the same subject amongst other sites.Therefore I do not see why the person who "wrote" it even put their name on it.

Here are the original sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semipalatinsk_Test_Site
http://scusi.twoday.net/STORIES/5061892/comment
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Russia/Sovwpnprog.html
http://www.voxpopuli.kz/post/view/id/484



Photos of the locals came from this site:
http://www.edouphoto.com/index.php?/project/under-a-nuclear-cloud/

[Red October1984]

Interesting.... :hmmm:

[Stealhead]

The US had its share of accidents look up Operation Crossroads Baker test.

And the radiation from every atmospheric test some of it spread freely throughout the atmosphere and people got exposed to it not in large numbers in one place.

[Cybermat47]

The Brits managed to nuke a few Aborigines, too. I really hate nuclear tests.

[Stealhead]

The Brits managed to nuke a few Aborigines, too. I really hate nuclear tests.


The governments of the USSR,USA,UK,France,and China would say that the harm done was worth the gain in defense and in understanding of science.:nope:

[Jimbuna]

The governments of the USSR,USA,UK,France,and China would say that the harm done was worth the gain in defense and in understanding of science.:nope:

Sad but true.

[Platapus]

And then there was Starfish Prime. Oops. :oops: Sorry about that.

[Red October1984]

The Brits managed to nuke a few Aborigines, too. I really hate nuclear tests.

The Americans did its share of nuking in the Pacific...

I'm surprised that Bikini Atoll is still there.

[RickC Sniper]

The 60's were especially good years for people who love really bright lights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY

[Stealhead]

The Americans did its share of nuking in the Pacific...

I'm surprised that Bikini Atoll is still there.


We also performed many tests in Nevada 800 from 1963-1992 underground tests and 100 atmospheric tests from 1951-1963.Add to that the first bomb in July 1945 and one underground test in New Mexico.

Bikini Atoll was part of the Pacific Proving Grounds tests where also conducted in other nearby atolls.The US grand total of nuclear tests is 1,054 we are number one in tests the USSR is second with 715.The US was nuclear test crazy.